PASTORALS LANDS

Marlborough Express, Volume LIV, Issue 129, 3 June 1920, Page 2

PASTORALS LANDS

THE COMMISSION IN MAllL^ BOTS.OUGH.

EVIDENCE GIV^N: BY MARL30R0UOH PASTORAL!STS.

The members of the Southern Pas-., torai Lands Commission,' wliicli sat i at Blenheim yesterday, are: — Mr R. T. Sadd, Commissioner of Crown Lands, and Chief Surveyor for the Otago Land District (chairman); Mr WV 8.-Buckhurst, Land Valuer, of Christchurch; Dr L. Cockayne, F.R.S., F.L.S., F.N.Z., Inst. of Ngaio, Wellidgton; Mr D. Jaydine, irastoralist, of -' Birch wood, Southland; Mr R. Scott, of ICyeburri, Otago; Mr A. Mclnnes, farmer, of Otiake, :Otago; and Mr ;C.« Todd,; mei'chant, of iDunedin. / The work of the commission is toJ ascertain whether the pastoral "Crown lands of Cantorbury, Otago, Southlond, and Marlborough . are being leased and utilised in the best man-j ncr; whether the pa.sturage of these j lands is deteriorating, and if so, the-, i cause of such deterioration; and how best to remedy tlie same and improve ' the conditions of' ih'e lands.

Mr 11- McCallum, M.P., attended the sitting .for a time, and. welcomed the commission to the district. He said that he was very pleased to see them here, and hoped that the visit would do good. He introduced Mr S. M. Neville as one of the oldest of the Mai-lborough settlers. The chairman thanked Mr McCalium for the welcome. Tho. purpose of the. commission, he said, was to do something for the pastoral leases. Marlborough was not at first included in tho. itinerary, but the members of the commission recognised that, there being large areas of pastoral- lands in the district, the province was entitled to a visit* . v

Four witnesses were examined, namely: Messrs H. Y. Mdnro, W. Pollard, S. M. Nsfille, and W. G. lludd. The witnesses gavo evidence on oath, and were questioned by the members of the commission on various matters, relating to pastoral lands. • '

Mr H. Y. Monro, sheep farmer, of Banbhouse Run, Waihopai, replying to questions, stated that his land comprised ' 10,000 acres, Jow hilly country,' ,a.nd carried 4500 mierinos and 60 head of cattle. He .had never held a pastoral lease and his country bad mainly danthonia grass on it. He- had known the land thereabouts for 25 years, and had seen some of it deteriorate and recover, deterioration being caused by indiscriminate burning, and by rabbits, which had been very bad.

The witiiess rer-ommeoded poisoning for the rabbits, as trapping was unsuccessful. "VVth regard to growing lucerne for winder feed, the only successful patch of growth in that part was at Lansdowne, where the land had been limed. He lad tried to grow lucerne at Wai,hopai, but had failed. He burned the danthonia in spring, as the burning did not affect the roots so much then. He did not sow after" burning bracken fern as the English grasses did not live on land which, was periodically Lurnt. The witness answered in the affirmative when aske-1 if he would put the tussocks back on his land if possible. They made a. better pasture than pure danthonia, and pro^ tccted the other grass. He said that }>c ran about 1 sheep to the acre on. diinthonia country. The death rate of the sheep was less than 1 per cent., the lambing average T>eing from 86 to 92 per cent. After a, very successful winter poisoning some time ago, he attriluted tlie keeping down of the rabbits on his estate to the natural (peray —stoats, weasels, ferrets, cats,

etc. Hares were not a menace on Xiis land. j When asljed if there was' much, land changing hands, and ~~H it amounted to traißcking and speculation, Mr Monro said that, although |a. considerable area of land hadi I changed hands, there was no traffick--1 ing or speculation going on, but that [ tlio land was being opened up by it, , and the Government should not en^ dcavor to stop these transfers. The other witnesses examiiied were asked similar question* and answered, vciiously as their experience had shown what the country . required, with regard to the extermination of i abbits, bracken fern, sweet briar, «nd the periodical burning of danthonia, tussocks, and other grasses. Mr Pollard unjdertook tto supplj the commission with the rainfall statistics for the Delta country.